Going heavy in some gear – GASP!

Margin for safety has always been my chief concern with UL/XUL/SUL – living in Alaska and primarily remote hiking routes as opposed to trails necessitates carrying a bit more.  Having a background in SAR, I also think in terms of running into someone in trouble – an extra jacket, a spare bit of food, etc., could make the difference for someone.  So, after trying to get as UL as possible, I find that prefer to carry a little extra and be prepared for worsenin conditions, injuries, etc.

Hammock: In the woods, yeah, you have far more options with the hammock than a tarp.  Brooks Range Alaska, rather extremely the other way around.

Rain gear (in of weather changes): Like a parka and rain pants?  Bring a trash bag. Not much additional weight and bulk.  Also adds some functionally like making a basin in which to sponge bath, wash hair, etc, well away from surface water and which can be warmed up depending on your stove/fuel situation.  For most people (using a tent or tarp), remember that a tarp is a raincoat.  Ugly and a little cumbersome, but a poncho with great coverage.

“a REAL knife and saw”  You mean like a 21-gram SAK Classic instead of a razor blade?  Probably not.  Before you go all Rambo on that front, is this for cutting tree branches for firewood?  Look at my 11-gram pull saw instructions.  Or ask me for one. For cutting down trees?  That bumps you up to an ax (or a chainsaw) and I can think of 2-3 pounds of gear that’s far more versatile than an ax.

As for what I feel I is worth the extra weight for comfort or safety?  A second mini-Bic.  A square foot of waxed paper (as a fire-starter) and aluminum foil (emergency pot, funnel, to catch melt water).  A minimal saw blade.  An extra pair of socks.  A small selection of drugs (pills and creams).  Some (really small) cordage – 100-pound woven line) plus other repair kit items.  I guess the biggest item on a longer trip is to not bring 100% of the clothes I’d need for the expected weather, but 120-130% of what I expect to need. Partly in case the weather is colder or wetter than I expected, but also in an emergency – if I’m immobile – I’ll need more warmth than if I could keep moving.  But I’ll also remember to get in my sleeping bag/quilt sooner, rather than later and that my tarp and even my pack are additional layers I can use to wrap myself up.

And, depending on the terrain, remoteness, etc, a PLB, ELT, InReach or Spot.  “It could save your life” even if most people use it to avoid a little discomfort.  A friend just used an InReach to literally save her life – they had to bivouac in a snow cave and were miles from where they’d last been seen, so “That thing 100 percent saved our lives. We would not be here. Nobody would have found us. Nobody would have even found the remains of us without being able to get our GPS coordinates out,” said Neyman.

Taking rain gear seems like it’s always a good idea, especially if you work it as part of your insulation system. And taking a light fleece layer as part of the insulation system is worth the weight to hedge against unexpectedly being wet for long periods of time.

If your tarp or tent rips, carrying repair tape of another means for repair is worth the extra weight. If the tarp can’t be repaired, then having a polycro ground cloth large enough to rap around yourself is one form of backup, along with whatever is left of the tarp.

Here in the WA mountains, there’s usually plenty of wood to make an emergency fire without a saw. But for remote trips in wet areas, having some good fire starter in your kit (i.e. fuel pellets, a small candle and Mg striker) in addition to the standard bic lighter and matches may be worth the extra weight.

Just two comments.

Trying to cope with ‘disasters’, especially re other people, is often a lead-in to an extra 10 lb of unnecessary gear. A major part of UL is substituting brains and experience for weight.

To a surprising extent, what gear is really justified depends very much  on where you are walking and what the conditions are likely to be. You do not take the same gear for alpine travel, desert wanderings, or NW rain forests.

cheers

I think my next big purchase is a REAL knife and saw.  If I get lost having both will mean I can process a LOT of wood and make a long stay bearable…

Emergency gear implies I think a measure of strict necessity, as opposed to convenience/comfort/etc. As in asking yourself: can I achieve the required objective without a particular item?

Saw is very handy for making neat fires for cooking, or for portable woodburners. If the objective however is a fire period, it can be achieved reasonably easy without a saw I think – most likely at the cost of taking few extra precautions, but with added advantage of less physical exertion.

The What Ifs have always been the core issue of the shift to UL.

A 7oz poncho will take care of the rain issue and provide emergency day hiking shelter. It can be used as an under cover on your hammock too.

I say so what to the extra hammock weight. If the rest of your kit is UL, the extra 1.5 pounds isn’t much. Many UL folk use heavier sleeping pads, which is really the same thing.

As far as a real knife, I carry a 3.5″ folder all the time anyway. A mora Bushcraft would be more than enough fixed blade. The saw crosses the LNT line and I could make excuses for winter camping, but not so much for general use. A 4oz Gerber sliding saw would be enough.

Think about it this way: a good backpacking gear list would be considered a very good emergency kit in itself .

Do learn good map and compass skills and back that up with a smartphone and GPS app. In other words, don’t get lost in the first place and back that up by telling someone where you are going and a return deadline.

My heavy item for “safety” is my Altec Lansing Mini bluetooth wireless waterproof speaker…to keep the bears and mountain lions away with my cool jams.

Pack you fears and what ifs and you’ll be back to a 30+ pound pack soon enough.

No one is saying pack for every worst case scenario – it’s simply a matter of gauging your margin of safety.  Living on Kodiak Island means I have to carry bear spray and an Ursack for my food every time.  I used to carry a 12 gauge w/ one oz slugs as well, but no longer do – considerably lightening my load.  We all realize that UL means packing multi-purpose items to reduce weight.  Hiking off trail where you are unlikely to encounter anyone else requires the ability to be self-sufficient beyond hiking on a well-used trail.

On my last trip, we brought a 2lb machete and used it to cut drift woodand have a camp fire in the rain.  Best 2 lbs ever.

I just bought an S.O.L. Emergency Bivy which seems like cheap insurance for a broken tent or a surprise leak, anyone carry one of these just in case?

My favorite extra on my last trip was a nice AM/FM/WB radio. On my first night alone in a national forest I stayed up late and caught Coast to Coast on the radio, discussing people who disappear mysteriously from hillsides in national forests. I was on a hillside of course, had a good chuckle.

A folding saw can be useful for fire making in wet weather but that 6 ounces could go into 12 esbits, which would be better in an emergency for blasting through wet wood. Figure out how to break down wood for splitting with just a fixed blade knife, it’s more work but doable.

A bit of extra fuel, a day of extra food, a hawt nalgene and fleece/synth will do more for you in unforseen/screwup situations than say a saw IMO

;)

I just bought a plastic Nalgene bottle that is about 2-3 oz heavier than the wide mouth Nalgene soft sided Canteen.

I am thinking about making the change because I am getting tired of the Canteen blowing out around the wide mouth hard plastic and leaking.

Yes, the Canteen is lighter but at the expense of having to buy a new one every year or two??

So I am adding weight for durability/reliability….and saving money in the long term.

Other recent changes that added weight to my kit:

1. Goose Feet Down Booties for sleeping 2.5 oz
2. Monkey Pillow Case without Pad Attachment Straps 1.0 to 1.5 oz  https://www.etsy.com/shop/HikeBikeDale
3. Moving from 1/8″ CCF to 1/4″ CCF pad for a few oz of comfort from the cold of the ground
4. I am considering moving from the Sawyer Mini to the Squeeze for a better rate of water flow for ease of drinking on the go

Anyway, adding a little bit of weight for durability and comfort….classic issue after trying to go as light as I could, then realizing that my pack is so much lighter than when I was a Traditional backpacker…so why not add a little bit of weight back into the kit?

Tony

I feel the sameway. Im always throwing extra things in lately.  Ive actually enjoyed things more.

I have always said that if you can’t sleep then you’re not “hiking.”  You’re “enduring.”  And that’s seldom what I’m seeking.  So I have a 30-degree bag that I carry even when it’s probably overkill, and I use a torso-length Thermarest on top of a CC foam pad.  I’m probably going to break down and buy a NeoAir soon, to try it out.  (Oh, and I’ve recently been schlepping a Klymit X-pillow, which is by a large margin the best inflatable pillow I’ve found.)

I’m with you on the hammock.  Some of the most comfortable nights I’ve spent in the backcountry were in hammocks.  But I find them annoying above treeline.  So as a “works essentially anywhere” solution I use a pyramid shelter.  I definitely still do the hammock thing, though.  Weight-wise they’re comparable with a 2P pyramid, so it’s no loss for me.

My other luxury item is a real fixed-blade knife, which I mention because you are considering one.  Heavy as hell, I know, but I had a bad experience once in the worst possible conditions- 32F and raining- during which I got thoroughly soaked and miserable and my Leatherman Squirt simply was not up to the task of helping me produce useable kindling.  What can I say?  I’m scarred.  I carry a real knife.  The only time I’ve carried a saw is when I’m out with my daughter- a little Bahco Laplander.  For her hiking is All About The Fire so I need to keep it fed (in established designated sites).  Otherwise, my knife is more than ideal for the tiny twig fires that I otherwise indulge in on occasion.  I do carry a (pretty foolproof) magnesium firestarter as a backup to my Bic, too.  That’s the only redundant equipment I carry.

I think your raingear policy is very reasonable.

I will say, though, that I REALLY don’t worry about “getting lost.”  I should knock wood or something, but I’m one of those guys who simply doesn’t understand how someone gets lost enough to need survival equipment, unless they’ve lost their map or something, which should never happen.  Situations like my soaking, above, yes, but not lost.  Or hurt, yes, but not lost.  And mind you I’ve been to some pretty out-there places, though granted not many of the truly challenging terrains like featureless plains.

So if you’re truly shaky on land navigation, sure, plan accordingly.  Otherwise I wouldn’t obsess about it.  Even then I long ago decided that so long as I had a fixed blade knife, a pot, and a reliable way to start a fire that I’d at least survive in (almost) any conditions until I started starving, which takes a while. Injury, of course, impacts this negatively, but I already carry all of that gear.

Mass Drop has had two great deals on the Klymit X-pillow.  It was $14.99 I believe.  I got one each time.  The second one just finished so it might be a month or so before the next one.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/klymit-pillow-x?utm_placement=0&referer=WRGRHU&mode=guest_open&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Automated%20Daily%20Promotional%202016-04-10&utm_term=Daily%20Promotional

Saws are for car camping and quartering big game, not for backpacking. Just break sticks with your body weight (but be careful). You should not need an “all night fire” requiring logs.

The rain gear debate is like politics or religion, sure to start an argument. But in Alaska I’d carry both parka and pants. WPB laminates require a good DWR treatment before a trip and, if used much rinse and re-do the DWR immediately after the trip. If you can’t decide between a poncho and a parka look closely at the “PACKA”, a very well designed hybrid garment.

The problem with Packa is its single purpose as a rain gear. By comparison, poncho/tarp can serve a number of purposes – rain gear, tarp, groundsheet, emergency bivy…

The problem with a poncho tarp is rough trail with bushwhacking, high winds and heavy rains as a shelter

its great as an “extra” tarp when theres a lot of rain

but not a replacemen for a shelter or rain shell in those environments

;)

Here we’re talking emergency gear or a little bit extra for comfort, and its in this context I think that a poncho is great due to its versatility.

To me, some kind of rain protection is a no-brainer.  Most places, rain happens pretty regularly.  Other places, rains are unpredictable.  Maybe it’s different in other parts of the country.  Rain protection provides a lot of warmth for the weight.

I don’t ever have a need for a big knife or saw.  If the wood is living, it won’t burn well and you don’t want it.  If the wood is dead and good for burning, it will be a bit brittle and can be broken by human power, by hand or between two close trees if necessary for survival.  If it’s too big to break between trees, just burn part of it at a time.  I agree with others that an esbit or 2 would be more useful.  Or the fleece.

You need a way to stay warm and stay dry in an emergency. It’s difficult to predict other emergencies. Who packs a way to deal with your tent being randomly struck by lightening? No one (don’t laugh, this happened at Guitar Lake a few years ago).

The best way to pack your fears is to get a PLB, Spot, or deLorme Inreach. It’s relatively light and can be used in nearly any emergency situation. We are very fortunate to have the technology to allow you to summon help when you’re in over your head. Some people may think this is going against self reliance, but if you’re in a life threatening situation, you really should ask for help even if you think you can handle it. Things can go downhill real fast…

Otherwise, don’t worry about grams. Ultralight is all about reducing  *unnecessary* weight. If you have considered lighter alternatives but heavier gear make you happy, then that’s not really unnecessary. It’s necessary to make you have an enjoyable trip.